SANTA ANA – An off-duty Orange County Sheriff’s deputy was arrested today on charges of illegally obtaining prescription pills by lying to doctors about what prescription pills he was already taking. Mark Wayne Hewlett, 35, Yorba Linda, is charged with five felony counts of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud, deceit, misrepresentation, subterfuge, and/or concealment. If convicted, he faces a sentence ranging from probation to a maximum sentence of five years and eight months in jail. Hewlett is in custody on $20,000 bail and is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday, May 5, 2015, at 10:00 a.m., in Department CJ-1, Central Jail, Santa Ana. If the defendant bails out, the arraignment date and time is subject to change.

On five occasions between Sept. 9, 2013, and Nov. 15, 2013, Hewlett is accused of going to four different doctors to obtain a prescription for the controlled substance hydrocodone, more commonly known as Norco or Vicodin. When at a doctor’s office, Hewlett is accused of fraudulently omitting that he was recently prescribed and currently taking hydrocodone in order to illegally obtain an additional prescription of the same drug. Continue reading→

Law enforcement historically has been asked to deal with many sociological issues that, quite frankly, we either have not been adequately trained for or don’t have the appropriate resources to fix. Notably, one of the most difficult issues is the question of how to work with people who are homeless, many of whom have mental illness and/or drug abuse issues.

The beating and death of Kelly Thomas by Fullerton police officers caused outrage and backlash not just in Orange County where I live, but across the nation. Ron Thomas, Kelly’s dad, ensured accountability by snapping this shocking photograph. The incident resulted in the criminal prosecution of several officers and a trial which is exposing the stigma associated with drug addiction, mental illness and the culture of law enforcement made worse by the drug war. You need look no further than the online comment sections of police magazines to see the callous language that surrounds the discussion of drug policies, drug addicts or even the death of Thomas. Continue reading→

SANTA ANA, California (September 30, 2013) – Since 1988, Orange County has been celebrating Red Ribbon Week, a national drug prevention effort that takes place during the month of October. Drug Use Is Life Abuse(DUILA) plays a leading role in this effort in Orange County. For 25 years, DUILA has provided Red Ribbon wristbands to every school-aged child in public and private schools in Orange County. This amounts to an astounding one million Red Ribbon wristbands annually. Continue reading→